


A Secret Worth Keeping

by AdelenMontgomery



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1860s, Adventure & Romance, Africa, Alternate Universe - Historical, Exploration, London, Search for the Nile, Slow Build, probably rife with inaccuracies but I tried
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 02:45:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10630518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdelenMontgomery/pseuds/AdelenMontgomery
Summary: Steve Rogers and James "Bucky" Barnes are explorers, adventurers, life-long friends. When they received an opportunity to explore Eastern Africa in search of the start of the Nile, funded by one Anthony Stark, they took it. Traveling with a small crew, they leave London for Africa in search of adventure aboard theWolverine. And they find plenty -- including a new tribe, the Wakandans, that they have to save from treachery from within their own crew.Steve and Bucky have known each other for years -- and have loved one another almost as long without admitting it to the other. Now, brought closer together on their expedition, will they be able to keep their secret?Well, they have to, since Peggy Carter, Steve's fiancee, is waiting for him back in London.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize in advance for any and all historical inaccuracies. This is (loosely) based on the British exploration/colonization of Uganda in the 1860s and the search for the Nile.  
> Prince, I hope you enjoy <3\. This was an interesting story to write. I promise to update as frequently as I can.  
> Without further ado, a tale of two idiots:

The harbor was busy with ships. White sails outnumbered the clouds themselves, almost glinting in the sunlight. Gulls screamed as they flew through the air to be heard over the surf and the shouting of men as ships were emptying their holds of cargo from far-off lands into carts to go to the markets; or ships were filling themselves with cargo to go to another city’s markets half-way across the world; or better yet, were being loaded with supplies for an exploration.

“Faster now, boys! We leave tomorrow!” shouted the captain of one such vessel, the  _ Wolverine _ .

“Captain!” shouted one of the men. “Mr. Barnes and Mr. Rogers are here!”

“Aye, I see them, Summers,” replied the captain, already coming down from the quarterdeck. He greeted the two men on the dock. “Everything will be ready by mid-morning tomorrow,” he assured them.

“Great,” Steve said, a bit distracted as he took in the ship. “She’s a beautiful ship, Captain Howlett.”

“Aye. Now I have work to do.”

“Of course. We just wanted to see the ship,” Steve said. Captain Howlett was already half-way up the gangplank when he finished talking.

“Charming guy,” James said. “I heard some of his crew calls him ‘Captain Terror.’”

“Do they?” Steve said.

“Come on, you can draw her later. The Bartons are in town and want to see us off,” Bucky said, clapping a hand on Steve’s shoulder and gently steering him away from the docks and back into London.

*****

The Bartons meet them for tea at one of the parlors near the Thames. Natasha greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek and Clint shook their hands.

“Is Miss Carter not coming?” Natasha asked as they sat down.

“She said she would. Perhaps she is running late,” Steve said, glancing out the window at the busy London streets for his fiancee's carriage. Bucky hoped that she didn’t show.

“That it so unlike her,” Clint said.

“It is,” Natasha said. “Now, before we all die of boredom, we should talk about something of importance. Perhaps one final discussion of the itinerary?” she proposed, smoothing out a piece of parchment she had pulled out of her bag.

“You two aren’t due to leave for months!” Bucky said.

“And you two are to leave tomorrow,” Natasha said. Steve chuckled. Natasha was always prepared for every occasion.

“Terribly sorry I’m late,” Peggy said as she approached their table. The three gentlemen all stood and Steve pulled out her chair. “I hope I haven't missed too much,” she continued as she sat down.

“Not at all,” Natasha said. “We were just going to go over their itinerary.”

“I’m sure everyone has it memorized, my dear Natasha. We are celebrating tonight. Our adventurers are going off to Africa!” Peggy said, taking Steve’s hand. She smiled as he gently kissed her hand. Bucky clenched his jaw and looked away, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Natasha.

After tea, the group went their separate ways. Steve helped Peggy into her carriage, and before she left she called Bucky over.

“Miss Carter?” Bucky said.

“Mr. Barnes, I need you to do something for me. Please bring back my fiance alive. I would say unscathed and whole, but we both know Steven too well to hope for that much,” she said with a smirk.

“I’ll do my best, Miss Carter,” Bucky promised, tipping his hat.

“I know you will, Mr. Barnes. You love him as much as I do,” Peggy said. Before Bucky could say anything else, she tapped the top of her carriage and her driver pulled away, leaving Bucky dumbstruck on the curb.

“We’ll see you in a few months,” Clint said, shaking Steve’s hand. He shook Bucky’s as well when he came back by them.

“James, a word?” Natasha said, motioning for them to step away for a moment. Bucky followed, wondering what she wanted to talk about. She was being serious is she was using his first name. “You can’t tell him,” she said when they were out of earshot.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about, James,” Natasha said.

“I really don’t,” Bucky said. Natasha rolled her eyes.

“You can’t let Steven know that you love him.”

“I think you’ve misread the situation, Mrs. Barton,” Bucky said, turning to leave. Natasha grabbed his arm.

“Bucky,” she said softly. He stopped, turned back and looked her in the eye. It was a rarity with Natasha, but her eyes were soft, sympathetic. “You know I haven’t. And you know I’m not going to turn on you. I want you both to be happy, you’re my friends.”

“I know. I’ve been carrying this secret in my heart for years, Natasha, long before we even met you, or your husband, or Stark. I know I can’t tell Steve. And I know he doesn’t return my affections anyway,” Bucky said. Natasha smirked, knowing, like always, something he didn’t.

“You are so blind, my friend,” she said fondly, shaking her head and taking his hand between her own. “He does, and that’s precisely why he can’t know. If he knew you returned  _ his  _ affections, he would break his engagement with Peggy.”

“No, he wouldn’t! He loves Peggy more than anything.”

“Except you,” Natasha said, poking his chest and dropping his hand. “You’re going to be closer to him during this expedition than ever before —” Bucky scoffed,  _ that _ was hardly possible — “and you can’t slip up. You must put distance between the two of you before one of you gets his heart broken. I refuse to pick up the pieces.”

“Duly noted,” Bucky said, tipping his hat. Natasha sighed, but left it at that, striding towards her husband, who helped her up into their carriage.

“What did Natasha want to talk to you about?” Steve asked as the Bartons merged into the London traffic, their black carriage blending in with the rest of them.

“She wanted to make sure I was ready to leave in the morning. You know how she is,” Bucky replied. Steve nodded.

“It’s going to be a long time before we see London again.”

“Then let’s hit the town!” Bucky said, composing himself and putting forth the confidence and bravado that he was known for. He put an arm around Steve’s shoulders to direct him, wondering how he never noticed that Steve leaned into him the slightest bit when he did that.

He wondered how he would distance himself from him without breaking either of their hearts when it was written on both their faces clear enough for the two most observant people he knew to notice. It seemed impossible, but Natasha was right. It would be for the best.


End file.
